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Medical Author:

John Meyerhoff, MD

Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Next Steps

Follow-up

Follow-up with continued care is important for people who have early Lyme disease but who fail to improve rapidly and completely.

• Doctors must consider other treatment options and rule out other illnesses that may be mistaken for Lyme disease.



• People with later-stage disease who require IV antibiotics or hospitalization must be monitored in the weeks following their treatment.



• Improvement in the symptoms of Lyme disease, particularly in the heart and nervous system, may occur gradually over a period of months. Lack of immediate improvement in all your symptoms is not a sign of unsuccessful treatment.